Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Bowers Fancy Dairy Products: Spanish Cabrales to Special-Made Cheddar Undoubtedly the District's oldest cheese shop is Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, located inside historic Eastern Market. Harry Bowers opened the shop in 1964 with an inventory of only four items: New York sharp cheddar, Swiss cheese, milk and eggs. More than a decade later, he sold the shop to his son Ray, who expanded the inventory exponentially. When asked how many different cheeses Bowers Fancy Dairy sells now, the younger Bowers lets out a laugh. "I have no idea," he says. "I just know that I sell cheeses from all over the world." Today the cheese case boasts foreign favorites, such as English Stilton and Spanish Cabrales, as well as locally produced options like soft-ripened Monocacy Ash goat cheese from Boyds, Md., with an edible ash coating, and soft, Alpine-style Mountaineer from Galax, Va. One of the signature items is naturally aged New York cheddar that Bowers gets specially made for the shop. It's produced two tons at a time, and Bowers often personally drives the batch down to the District. Almost all of the cheeses are cut right off the wheel or block, so customers get the freshest product possible. The shop also offers a small selection of delicacies, including Les Trois Petit Cochons pâté and mousse, and fresh dairy products, including Pennsylvanian butter, heavy cream from Delaware, and just-made ricotta. Eastern Market, open Tuesdays through Sundays, is well worth checking out in its entirety. Sample freshly harvested pro- duce grown throughout the Chesapeake watershed, snack on sweet treats, enjoy a casual lunch and check out artisanal goods of many disciplines. Cheesetique: Pan-Global Cheeses and Craft Beers and Wines When Cheesetique opened its doors in the Del Ray area of Alexandria, Va., eight years ago, naysayers said the location wouldn't fly for the D.C.-centric crowds. Before the close of the first week, the store's entire invento- ry had sold out. This past December, Cheesetique debuted its second loca- tion in Arlington's bustling Shirlington neighborhood. Walk into the new space and At Cheesetique, if you're in the mood for something produced regionally, pick up fiery Dragon's Breath pepper jack from Pennsylvania's Keswick Creamery or a nutty sheep's milk cheese from Everona Dairy in Virginia's Piedmont region. you're greeted with a pair of cheese cases and a meat case on your left; a beer and wine fridge are on your right, along with various gour- met goods such as crackers, honeys, tapenades, mus- tards, chocolates and fresh- baked breads from D.C.'s Lyon Bakery. The cheese selection is pan-global at Cheesetique, with an emphasis on raw- milk cheeses to accommo- date the growing demand from educated consum- ers. "People's palates are expanding beyond generic, grocery-store cheddar," says store director Maud Bentley. If you're in the mood for something pro- duced regionally, pick up fiery Dragon's Breath pep- per jack from Pennsylvania's Keswick Creamery or a nutty sheep's milk cheese from Everona Dairy in Virginia's Piedmont region. Don't see what you want? Shopkeepers are happy to track down rare cheeses as well as hard-to-find craft beers and wines. A 7-foot-tall wine featuring mostly wall, THE CHEESE SHOPS Bowers Fancy Dairy Products 206 Seventh St. SE 202.544.7877 bowerscheese.com Cheesetique 4056 Campbell Ave. Arlington, Va. 703.933.8787 cheesetique.com Cowgirl Creamery 919 F St. NW 202.393.6880 cowgirlcreamery.com La Fromagerie 1222 King St. Alexandria, Va. 703.879.2467 lafromagerieonline.com Red, White & Bleu 127 S. Washington St. Falls Church, Va. 703.533.9463 redwhiteandbleu.com Screwtop Wine Bar & Cheese Shop small-production wines, separates the retail area from the restaurant in the back. There you'll find a 15-seat marble bar and additional table seating for 20. It's no surprise that the menu favors cheese-centric dishes like gourmet mac & cheese, flatbreads, fresh-pressed panini, cheese boards and a housemade cheesecake with chocolate mousse, though customers will find salads, soups, small plates and charcuterie on offer, too, as well as a selection of sandwiches to go—not to mention a spotlight on grilled-cheese sandwiches. 1025 N. Fillmore St. Arlington, Va. 703.888.0845 screwtopwinebar.com JULY/AUGUST 2012 129